


New Balances

by kikibug13



Category: Human Target (TV 2010)
Genre: Banter, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 15:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1095642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikibug13/pseuds/kikibug13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New team, and Chance is caught between his old life and his new one, for a moment, there. But he's not going back, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Balances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Misachan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misachan/gifts).



> Have merry and wonderful holidays!
> 
> And many thanks to my beta!

Chance rubbed his face, looking through the file once again. Guerrero's intel was good, as always. So was Winston's; he was beginning to trust the former cop's taste in how they were doing what they were doing. Now it was up to him to come up with a plan to get the kid out. And there had to be... something. 

"Chill out, dude."

Chance opened his mouth to ask what he'd done _now_ when Winston's grumbling caught up with him. Something about food.

"Yeah, well, freelancers. That's what we are. And that means freedom, dude. Anything is up for grabs. Including what's in the fridge. _Especially_ what's in the fridge." 

"You're mean little _thief_ , is what you are."

"Guerrero."

"What, dude?"

"Leave Winston alone. I need a way to get through to the taller building with a civilian in tow."

There was... the sound of chewing. "I dunno. You're the specialist on saving people now, what've you got?"

Chance wanted to groan. There was a boy in danger, what, nineteen years old? He was only in trouble because his dad didn't want to launder money anymore, and they'd gotten the kid and the mom had contacted Winston on the wisp of a rumor. Gutsy lady, that, for all that she spent most of her life in hospitals. At least the kid hadn't inherited her heart defect, that might've made the whole thing moot. 

"Can you put a vest on him?" 

Winston's rumble cut through his thoughts. 

"Like he'll know how to make sure they try to aim for the body, instead of the head. I'll need, I'll need a distraction. No, Guerrero, we're not blowing up the second floor, I heard you the first time. That kind of explosion won't be contained enough. People're gonna die."

"Yeah, well, some of them deserve to die."

"Nobody deserves to die."

"Right. Heard that. Kinda cute."

Chance's mouth thinned into a hard line, strong and firm. 

"I'd quit while I'm ahead if I were you."

"Shut up, dude." 

Neither of them looked away, not for a very long time. But, in the end, it was Guerrero who glanced down. 

"Right. No blowing people up. You're taking the fun out of it."

"No knives unless they attack you, either."

"Or you."

Chance pretended he didn't hear that. So did Winston. Guerrero acknowledged neither of them, which was probably for the better.

"And I'm not wearing a wig. Or cuffs."

"Don't look at me, I ain't wearing a wig, either."

"Guys, I don't need 'won't's, I kinda need the opposite, here."

"Look at it this way. How easy would it be to shoot him down, crossing that stretch."

"Dead easy. No matter what I do."

"There you have it, then, your answer. Can't do this."

"Not good enough. Stop smirking, Wintson, this isn't about which one of you gets to have the upper hand. There's a kid out there, and he needs our-- he needs my help. And you're not gonna help _me_ , fight each other somewhere else."

"Fine."

The elevator's door clicked hard, and then the cage rattled a bit as it went down. Chance looked down at the schematics. 

"Did he just...?"

"Well, yeah."

"Wasn't that a bit... rough, of you?"

"What, with Guerrero? Nah, he'll be fine."

"You just told him to..."

"I let him go out and not have to report to me. He's got my back, I've got to pay his contract, but he never agreed to work clean. If I push him, that'll end up badly for all involved; he knows he can't push me. So letting him blow off some steam isn't gonna hurt his feelings."

That got him an entire three minutes of silence to focus on the problem at hand. 

"You just let him go out and kill somebody."

Chance winced. It was true, but saying it so many words still sat wrong with him. But he couldn't just make Guerrero change. For one thing, it was way too soon. Chance didn't even know what he was, anymore, just what he wanted to be. But he knew he couldn't just _make_ Guerrero be something he wanted him to be. That wasn't how Chance worked, it wasn't how Guerrero worked, and it sure wasn't how people who could trust each other worked.

For another thing, you couldn't force somebody to keep people alive when they weren't ready. Chance would've laughed at the idea, a year back. Guerrero might _always_ laugh at the idea, and at Chance trying to pitch it to him. Not like he _didn't_ end up killing people, anyway. Usually in self-defense, technically. Anway. But if it was gonna happen, it was gonna happen on Guerrero's terms. At Guerrero's time. Not that... Chance wouldn't have really loved that, or anything. 

"Yeah, I guess. Look, maybe he won't. But not having to explain if he does... it's how he is. I'm not gonna break him, trying to make him into something he's not."

"And why not? He's not an upstanding citizen, exactly."

"Don't go there, Winston."

"Gah." He seemed about to steam up to another ramble, when his phone dinged with a text. " _Rope bridge_. What's that mean, rope bridge?"

Chance started up, frowning at his new partner, then he smiled, slightly. "Tell him it's something that can work, thanks."

"Tell him... I'm not. _I'm not your messenger service_!"

"Right, that's right, you're not. But still, thank him for me."

"Why don't you do it your _self_?" 

"I don't have my phone."

"Why?"

"Carmine's teething."

"What? Wait, what, he used it as a chewtoy?"

"Well... kinda. It's not like he needed a lot of chewing, to take care of it."

"Cha-- _Chance_. That thing cost money!"

"Yeah, well, don't look at me, I didn't give it to him! He's just growing sorta... fast!" 

"Yeah. Right."

"Wanna take notes on what I've got about the Simmers's kid?"

"What? I thought you had trouble..."

"Rope ladder. Also, I'm running out of time. Gotta be there in two hours at most, and if this one doesn't work, I'll improvise."

Winston rolled his eyes. "I hate improvisations."

"Trust me. It's gonna be fine."

It took Winston an entire five minutes to figure out what Chance had done, there, and the glare was well worth the effort.

"These don't work on me, you idiot!"

"Could've fooled me."

"Shut up."

"It's gonna be fine."

"You're the one who's gonna be unsecured bungee jumping if that has to go to plan C."

"It'll work out fine, Winston. Let's get going."


End file.
